


take my hand (in the middle of a crisis)

by jojo_saltzman



Series: Chaubrey Week 2020 [3]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Camping, Chaubrey - Freeform, Chaubrey Week, Chaubrey Week 2020, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:53:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26356027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jojo_saltzman/pseuds/jojo_saltzman
Summary: Written for day three of Chaubrey Week. Prompt: Frozen.
Relationships: Chloe Beale & Aubrey Posen, Chloe Beale/Aubrey Posen
Series: Chaubrey Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1911109
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	take my hand (in the middle of a crisis)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Frozen.

Aubrey spent most of her childhood in the woods.

Under her father’s strict regime, Aubrey grew up knowing and perfecting how to hunt and find shelter, how to build fires and generally survive on her own for a long period of time. General Posen controlled everything in Aubrey and her little brother’s life outside of school and more often than not the blonde found herself surrounded by the wilderness with a heavy shotgun strapped onto her little frame. Her father valued the knowledge that he learnt from being in the army that he passed onto his children and over time Aubrey grew to be thankful for it.

Especially in moments like this, when she found herself in the middle of nowhere in a wooden cabin with the one, Chloe Beale, freezing her ass off.

The senior Barden Bellas are all graduated at the end of May, leaving only Chloe and Aubrey behind in the Bella residence and Aubrey is ready to devote her summer to plan the perfect set-list of their lives to finally win back the title that she had cost them. She needs to do as much damage control as she can because she knows it won’t be easy finding new recruits that didn’t already see her puking her guts out on the national stage.

But all Chloe hears from her speech is that she somehow stressed and they need a few days to unwind and _bond,_ whatever that means. Aubrey doesn’t know how these things are relevant.

“Don’t worry, Bree. I’ve got you.” Chloe said with a beaming smile and pulled down their suitcases from the attic and started packing their bags.

Aubrey doesn’t know what Chloe can possibly “get” until three hours later when she pulls her Prius off the main road and suddenly, they are in the middle of nowhere.

“We’re here!”

“Where exactly is _here_ , Chloe?” Aubrey demands to know.

Chloe’s grin doesn’t lessen as she turns to Aubrey and the blonde wonders if her grin is hurting her face at all.

“Welcome to the Beale Family Cabin!”

The cabin is small wooden house, sitting on the edge of a lake that Chloe can’t stop gushing about spending all her summers swimming in. There’s a path circling the water leading a clear way into the woods between the towering mountains in the distance. Aubrey can’t help but admire the true beauty of the nature but the small voice in the back of her mind telling her she needs to get ready is hard to push aside. Chloe’s happy smile is permanent as she all but runs to the house with an excited squeal and throws the door open, before turning around to address Aubrey.

“We’re gonna have so much fun!”

Somehow, Aubrey highly doubts that. 

* * *

The patio door hauntingly creepy creaks interrupt the otherwise peaceful night as the wind moves it back and forth in its own accord. The rusty, old mattress springs digs painfully into every inch of Aubrey’s back as she glares at the wooden ceiling, cursing everything under her breath that has let her to this moment.

Her feet dangles ungraciously off the possibly child-size bed when Aubrey spreads out across the surface and the freshly crowned a cappella captain wants to shake the angelically sleeping redhead on the other side of the room and demand an explanation as to why Chloe thought this was a good idea.

They’ve spent the day getting settled in before Chloe dragged her out of the house, leaving their phones behind and walking around the area. Aubrey hates to admit it but Chloe’s enthusiasm started to rub off on her and the blonde found herself inhaling the fresh air through her nose and felt her heartbeat slow down for the first time since the incident.

It didn’t last long.

During the day, the sun beamed down on them warmly but as the sun disappeared and the stars lit up the sky, the temperature dropped and Aubrey is _freezing._

The thin blankets do nothing to prevent the cold from getting into her bones and Aubrey seriously considers stealing the car keys and leaving Chloe behind. The annoying puffs of airs that Chloe lets out at every exhale not helping her case in the slightest. Maybe wearing shorts and a tank-top to bed was a bad idea but come on, it’s supposed to be summer.

Aubrey tries to shift around, pulling her legs up towards her chest into a fetal position and demands her body to stop shivering but sleep doesn’t come. Suddenly rage spreads through her and she rips off the duvet, flicking on the lights and stomping to Chloe’s side of the room quickly and leaning over the redhead.

“Chloe.” Aubrey calls out but the redhead only exhales. “Chloe!”

“Hm? Wh-what?” The redhead’s voice is groggy from sleep and she tug her blanket in her fists and pulls them higher until her shoulders disappear.

“I’m freezing.” Aubrey exclaims with an eyeroll. “Where did you put the extra blankets?”

That somehow grabs Chloe’s attention as Aubrey watches her eyelids flatter open and look up at the blonde.

“I didn’t bring blankets.”

Aubrey pauses before pinching the bridge of her nose. “Chloe,” she breathes out, trying to remain calm, “I asked you to put in extra blankets before we left.”

The redhead has the decency to appear guilty Aubrey notes with slight sarcastic tone internally but it doesn’t really matter. Aubrey is uncomfortable and freezing and on top of that she doesn’t want to be here which in turn just only adds onto her frustration. 

“I’m sorry, I forgot.” Chloe apologizes softly and pushes herself up with her arms so she’s sitting on the bed.

Aubrey refuses to grind her teeth and points to the growing selection of stuffed animals that Chloe always sleeps with. “Yeah but you don’t forget to bring those!”

“…they’re important.”

“Okay.” Aubrey exhales sharply and turns around, not having the emotional strength to look at Chloe anymore and goes around the room and opens every door, hoping to find something she can use. “I’m going to die of frostbite but as long as you have Mr. Snuggles…” She murmurs under her breath annoyingly as she continues to search.

“Don’t be dramatic. You won’t get frostbite.” Aubrey can practically _hear_ the eyeroll Chloe sends her way and feels her stare directed at her back, “And his name is Sam.”

Opening up a closet near the front door, Aubrey finds some old t-shirts and a couple of books neatly stacked on the floor and pillows on the upper shelf. No blankets in sight. A grimace forms on her face when she sees the thick layer of dust on the surface. How long has this house been cleaned?

Another shiver runs down her spine, creating goosebumps on her arms and Aubrey crosses her arms over her chest and looks for a fireplace. She can get wood from the forest and she’s confident that she can create fire using only friction just like her dad taught her. But of course, there’s no fireplace.

Aubrey wonders if she can get away with building one in the middle of the room.

“Oh, I know!” Chloe calls out suddenly excited. “Come here.”

Aubrey closes the door with more force that she intended and barely resist to not slam her forehead against the surface in defeat. “What?”

Aubrey raises her eyebrows and turns around, only to see Chloe scooching back against the wall and flash her a bright smile and hold her duvet open in a clear invitation. 

“Come here, we can cuddle to keep warm.”

Aubrey swallows hard in response and feels her body growing rigid. She knows it means nothing to the redhead. Chloe’s practically lives of physical contact, freely giving it even if the recipient doesn’t want it and Aubrey has seen her tackle more than one Bella at inopportune times for whatever reason. It’s nothing special to Chloe but Aubrey’s not sure her heart can take it.

“We’re not going to cuddle like children, Chloe.” Instead of allowing Chloe to see her vulnerability, Aubrey falls back and hides behind her well-crafted walls of insults and shifts her eyes anywhere but at the girl.

Unfortunately – or fortunately, depends on the perspective – Chloe knows her too well and simple brushes off the comment and stands from the bed, crossing the room in three long strides until she’s standing in front of the blonde. Warm, deft fingers hook around hers softly and Aubrey lets herself to be dragged back toward the bed.

“Don’t be such a baby,” Chloe says with an amused smile, “Get in.” and grabs Aubrey by the waist, sending her face first into the hard mattress with a hard push.

“Chloe!”

“You were taking forever and I’m sleepy.” Chloe smirks absentmindedly, turning off the lights and jumps in after the blonde, successfully bouncing on the mattress before she stills. She turns onto her side towards Aubrey, sending her a small smile that Aubrey feels it’s too intimate. Her muscles tighten until long fingers curl into fists and Aubrey crawls as far away from Chloe as possible, like a scared animal trapped in a cage. Her back touches the cold wall.

It’s not Chloe’s fault. Not really. Often times the redhead is not aware of the affect she has on people, especially Aubrey. She doesn’t know how Aubrey’s palms starts to sweat whenever she’s near or how her heart beats almost overwhelmingly fast whenever Chloe so much as smiles. 

Aubrey has never felt more vulnerable; she’s painfully conscious of the redhead’s attention being directed at her and Aubrey’s is quite sure if she lets herself look at Chloe, her feelings would be clear as day.

There’s a dull moment that passes between them while Aubrey tries to divert her eyes, fighting to keep her heart from beating out of her chest so she misses the genuine concern that flashes across Chloe’s face at her strange behavior before it’s replaced with an intrigued expression.

“Have you never cuddled before?”

Aubrey’s eyes immediately snap to ocean blues, finding amusement filling her gaze as Chloe bites her bottom lip to trap a smile from growing too big on her face. Despite the panic she felt earlier, a light chuckle bubbles out from Aubrey’s mouth being matched by Chloe and she’s grateful, knowing she’s trying to lighten the mood.

The redhead reaches out and rests her hand on Aubrey’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. “It’s okay if it’s your first time. I promise to be gentle.”

Aubrey slaps her hand away, her heart beating faster for a completely different reason when Chloe’s laugh rings out in the small cabin and settles into her chest, spreading warmth through her numb body.

“Roll over.” The demand is soft, almost whispered into the dark and Aubrey doesn’t trust her voice not to stumble so she’s stays quiet and rolls over to the wall. She tries to remember the strict breathing exercises that she learnt from years of singing lessons to keep her chest from heaving and prepares her body for Chloe’s inevitable touch before she feels the mattress dip slightly as Chloe moves closer to her back.

Breath caught in her throat, Aubrey still winces slightly when slim arm curl around her waist despite knowing it would and Chloe’s front presses lightly against her back.

“It’s just me, Bree.” Chloe’s voice washes over her ear and Aubrey breathes out. “Relax.” 

A leg peaks between her own and Aubrey presses down the shiver at the skin on skin contact before Chloe reaches over and pulls the blanket over their bodies before settling down again. Aubrey feels the feather light touch of soft lips on the base of her neck as a palm rests comfortably on her stomach over the thin fabric of her shirt.

They lay there, intertwined in a tense moment – at least, it feels tense to Aubrey – before Chloe grows bolder and pulls her closer by her hips until there isn’t an inch of space between her bodies. The gasp never really makes it out of Aubrey’s mouth but when the hand on her stomach blindly reaches out, Aubrey takes in a deep breath and finds Chloe’s palm, her fingers easily sliding into the slots until their palms touch and holds on her stomach.

A strange sense of calm washes over the blonde as Chloe fidgets slightly before a warm breath hits her skin.

“Goodnight, Bree.”

In a small cabin in the middle of nowhere, wrapped up tightly in Chloe’s embrace, Aubrey lets herself smile genuinely in the dark and snuggles deeper into the warm body behind her.

Aubrey hates to admit but Chloe is right, she’s not cold for the rest of the night.


End file.
